I don't understand all the soccer tournaments. There's the Barclay's league and a hundred other tournaments...now this "Euro-Cup" thing....and of course the World Cup. You need a PhD to follow international soccer to figure out who the best teams actually are...players play for different teams depending on the tournament. A big reason why it isn't popular in the U.S.; too complex to care about.
I can imagine. I went to a Columbus Crew game once because my wife was given tickets. Thank god it was 1 dollar draft night there, because it was painful to watch. A 1-0 score, and I'm fairly confident 90% of the crowd showed up for the one dollar beers.
There are over 20,000 men's soccer teams around the world with a continuing status. Who could possibly keep up with that? Is it really possible to determine the "best" team in the World? I think not.
I hear that. Next year my daughter will be old enough for sports, though her age, being female, and living in the country has limited our options. Its basically either soccer or T ball, so I might end up having to attend some soccer games. She says she wants to take Karate, but the "instructor" at the closest place has a mullet and a lazy eye, and is pushing 300 lbs or so. I can't imagine he knows wtf is going on.
LMAO...I know someone who will be really upset to read that... Yes, it's like so difficult to play for your team and then play in the international team. I don't know how we keep it straight.
With 20,000 international amateur and pro teams, compiling the best of the best is purely arbitrary. Soccer isn't as developed in the States professionally. We draw from Collegiate players namely and a few MSL players, but nowhere near the level of professional teams found abroad. If America tried, we'd dominate in Soccer like we dominate in every other sport. We just, collectively, don't care all that much about the sport as other nations. We don't have the infrastructure of amateur and pro teams that other nations have to draw from to field an international team of an elite caliber.
If that is ever accurate, it is equally accurate of any sport. Which other sport is that? Baseball (nobody plays it) or basketball (who really plays it) or US football (nobody plays it) etc etc You don't have the stamina to stay on a pitch for a full 90 minutes. Not tough enough. Herk...yiz are just strange. Your sports are not sharing sports. They don't bring you together with other nationalities or give you experience of other cultures or if they do, it's minimal compared to the sports everyone else plays. You are the only country interested in your sports. They're isolationist sports. What is all that about?
I played baseball, and in Japan it is very popular along with Latin American countries... Besides I'm from St. Louis, Missouri. In the 1950 World Cup, an amateur team comprised mainly of St. Louisans defeated England 1 - nil. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_1–0_England_(1950_FIFA_World_Cup) Soccer has a rich tradition in this city. It's big here. We have a lot German, Italian and Irish ancestory living here.
I actually admire that. But indeed, americans are no one to give lessons when it comes to sports. Though kudos for coming up with Basketball.
ya it is, FIFA World Cup is for the best country, FIFA Club World Cup is for the best club obviously...are two competitions that difficult to keep track of...
as I explained in previous post compiling the best is methodical and definitive there's nothing arbitrary about...World Club Champion is done every year with the respective six continental champions meeting for final annual tournament...the World Cup (Nations) is a essentially a 4 year tournament the first elimination rounds have already taken place and it ends with a final big tournament in 2014... the USA has more registered soccer players than any other country on the planet(Brasil is 2nd) MSL is becoming quite competitive the equal of 2nd division in England with a number of players who are quite comfortable playing at EPL level... you are trying and it isn't helping... statistics say otherwise you have more, much much more resources, facilities, cash, administration than many 3rd world nations that can still kick your butt...saying you collectively care is an excuse to save face...
I enjoyed watching the Co-operative MacTavish Cup final live on BBC Alba the other day (I should add my congratulations to Newtonmore on a fantastic victory). Just thought I'd mention it! PS. Yes, I really did watch it, and it was great - would love to see more of it - now that's a proper man's sport!
Dittos - & also congrats to South Carolina: Even though they didn't win, it was their third straight trip to the finals, a great accomplishment!
It looks like there will finally be a college football playoff on its way! It's about freaking time! I've been screaming for a playoff for nearly 35 years now. Will it be perfect? Nope. Will everybody be happy? Not even close. I'm sure I'll get ticked at selections or whatever, but at least, IMO, it's a step in the right direction.
the nature of college sport makes a playoff format a difficult thing to do... IMO the best method would to follow the soccer format of ranked divisions with relegation and promotion between divisions from year to year...it would take awhile for the divisions to be sorted out and a number of big schools wouldn't like it but is fair and it rewards results fairly... and small schools can work their way up the divisions...what I like best is that even games between the lowest ranked teams matter a lot as they fight to avoid relegation to a lower division, every result matters...
I had to look that one up, shinty!...then I find I played the canadian version of it as a kid, shinny...but we played it on ice, it's what we played when we didn't have our skates with us.
I disagree with you that college sports playoffs are difficult. As far as I know, every other (U.S.)college sport has a playoff of sorts, including other divisions of college football. What I will agree with you is, is that the "soccer format" may be a more ideal way of implementing a playoff for major college football. Like you stated, lower ranked teams would have to fight to keep their standing.
Yup. Great game to watch - it's a bit like field hockey played with the attitude of ice hockey, but without all the pads and without all those those pesky rules against waving sticks in the air and clubbing people around the head with them!
On the subject of boxing something that most people haven't heard about is that amateur boxing is moving back to the 10 point must system and removing head gear after the London Olympics. I'm very happy for the move back to 10 point must as the current scoring system is a joke. However, I'm not to happy about the idea of no head gear. While head gear doesn't do much to lessen damage to the brain but it does protect against cuts. In a tournament setting cuts will be a huge problem if there is no headgear. With the move back to 10 point must scoring perhaps boxing will once again become a major event at the Olympics.
Let's not forget the University of Arizona (of which I am an alumnus) Wildcats and their victory in the College World Series. Awesome display of pitching, defense and timely hitting, without any real power. And they knocked off the defending two-time national champions.
when I was young shinny was never organized it was just impromptu matches with whoever walked by with a stick joining in(anywhere from 3 players to 50), only rule we played by was sticks could not be raised above the waist so as everyone would keep their eyes intact...now-a-days we have shinny leagues with rules...
there would seem to me at least conflicts with academic studies, playoffs would require a number of extra games and aren't games played once a week? wouldn't the season be much longer?...of course I'm assuming academics actually matter to football programs... the part I like best about it is even the last games of the season can be major competitive events even though the division championship has been decided...
Spain vs Italy as finale. Happy for Italy, germans can go home, where they belong. Great team, weak spirited. Still think Portugal could've made it through Spain, but oh well. Funny how Italy made all the way into the finale, its like the more they seem to suck, the better they turn out to be.
